Shades Of Grey
by A Perfect Paradox
Summary: This story takes place in Tom Riddle's time. It circles around the plight of Atalanta Avery, Head Girl Gryffindor, and Tom Riddle, Head Boy Slytherin soon to be greatest Dark Wizard ever, who have despised each other since first year.
1. Chapter 1

-1I walked brusquely into the train station, my bag hanging off my thin frame haphazardly. I saw millions of muggles bustling about, and I groaned. By the time I'd reach the train, it would be halfway to Hogwarts.

I reflected over my years at Hogwarts as I managed to push through the thriving crowd. I was a pureblood Gryffindor; I had been made prefect once and had gotten seven Outstanding O.W.L.'s. I had been made Head Girl this year, now that I thought of it.

That seems like a rather good resume.

But that's not all. I had many peripheral friends; I would sit at the lunch table with them and laugh at all the right times. But there was really no one who could communicate with me at my level of intelligence, which bothered me a lot. The only other student who had gotten more than six O.W.L.'s was Tom Riddle, a Slytherin seventh year, and, well, let's just say we didn't get along. Perhaps I'll tell you more about it later.

I pushed through the barrier and entered the train. I saw a few people wave to me, and I waved back; I could tell they were motioning for me to sit with them, but I pretended I couldn't see them and passed them, moving on to an empty compartment down the way. I pulled out a notebook curled up in the seat happily. I enjoyed being alone. It was one of the things that made me very happy in general.

I doodled mindlessly for a bit and then looked outside; the train was beginning to move. I breathed a sigh of relief. No one had come to sit with me, and that was just the way I liked it.

I looked down at the page and read what I had written.

Atalanta Avery-- Head Girl

Then under that I had written a poem.

_This nakedness is bestowed upon us all _

_It uncovers our goodness and the_

_Spoiled and rotten cores_

_The blush of hatred and lust creeping up upon us _

_Smothering embarrassment with hints of yearning_

_Frightens me in a way that I may not fathom_

_Or else be swept away by greed_

I sighed and put the notebook down. Just then, I heard a knock on the door. Two knocks on the door. Then the door opened to reveal-

"Hello Avery." A hatred coursed through me.

"Hello Riddle," I spat. Tom Riddle was standing in the doorway; the person in the school whom I loathed the most. Everyone always thought him to be so dashing with his good looks and charming with his magnificent wordplay; he had everyone wrapped around his little finger. Except me, of course. The loathing (which I assumed was mutual) had begun the first year we got here, and since then it had simply grown. "What are you doing here? And where are your cronies, Malfoy and Crabbe and Goyle?"

His eyes full of rage he responded, "They are seemingly to where to be found. All the other compartments are full. I was wondering if I could join you; it is pretty empty in here." He closed the door behind him before I responded and sat down across from me.

"I'm sure if you asked that fan club of yours could spare some room for 'hunky Tom Riddle,'" I scoffed.

"I don't exactly wish to sit with them," he said coldly.

"And you'd rather sit with me?"

"Honestly? Yes. Because you, unlike them, have a brain." I rolled my eyes.

"Is that a compliment, Riddle?"

"No, merely a known fact." I shook my head at him and began doodling and writing again.

"What are you writing?" he asked after ten minutes of silence.

"A poem," I responded very non-specifically.

"Could you be any more vaguer?"

"I could, but then you'd be even more confused."

"Can I read it?" A deadly silence filled the gap between us. I never let ANYONE read my notebook work. Ever.

"I'd prefer it if you'd just back off," I said icily. He looked at me in indignation.

"Back off? I'm creating conversation," he spat.

"And we all know how fabulous your repartee is, Riddle, so you can cut the crap." Riddle looked annoyed but he kept silent.

A magical ring rang through the cabin; it was a signal for the Head Boy, Head Girl, and prefects to gather in the front of the train. Riddle and I both groaned at the same time.

"Wait, you're Head Boy?" I asked unbelievingly.

"Yes. Let me guess, you're Head Girl."

"On the nose, Riddle." Then the effect of the words hit me hard.

"Wait- wait, we're going to be patrolling together the ENTIRE YEAR."

Riddle grimaced. "It does seem likely."

I moaned and left the compartment, Riddle trailing closely behind.

I entered the front compartment. In there was Professor Andromache talking to some of the younger prefects who had rushed from their compartments.

"Hello Miss Avery, Mister Riddle. Take a seat, will you?" he said in a light tone. "These are the Head Boy and Head Girl." A few people clapped politely.

"They are in charge of the prefects, who in turn are in charge of keeping students in check. Am I being clear?" he asked the younger ones, who all nodded fervently. I yawned. He gave the same speech every year.

"Now, I expect all of you to work together to keep the students of Hogwarts at bay. If you have any questions, feel free to ask the Head Boy or Girl. The first train patrol goes to Miss Prudence Hawthorne and Mister Anthony Connolly. Thank you; and one last word of caution; use your authority wisely, for when used blindly, it becomes worthless. Good day." I stood up, as did Riddle; we walked out of the compartment before any of the buggers could ask us bloody questions.

I sighed and sat back down in what was no longer my compartment, but ours.

"I'm going to go change my robes. I'll be back soon," I said after a few minutes of nothing. He nodded gruffly and I grabbed my robes and left.

I changed leisurely, I had no wish to go back to the compartment soon than necessary.

Someone bumped into me from behind as I left the changing compartment. I fell over and landed with a THWUMP on the floor, hurting you tailbone.

"Sorry," I heard a voice sneer. I scowled. I knew that sneer like the back of my hand.

"Demeter Collins," I said through gritted teeth. She smiled haughtily.

"So, I heard you're sitting with Tom," she said scathingly.

"So?" I asked, nonplussed.

"I also heard you guys are a couple." My stomach dropped.

"Who did you hear that from?" I asked.

"Does it matter?" she said with a laugh.

"No, we're not a couple," I managed to spit out after the initial shock. "As a matter of fact, I loath the guy."

"Oh good. Then you won't mind when I talk him for myself," she stated.

"Be my guest." She rolled her eyes and walked away, leaving me with a sore butt.

I went back to the compartment and saw Tom hastily put down my notebook.

"We're you reading my work?" I asked incredulously.

"No; I-I was admiring the art on the cover," he stammered, pointing to a tiger I had drawn on the cover in magically glowing ink. I looked at him, puzzled. _Tom Riddle, stammer? _I saw him clench his fist in his pocket.

"Are you okay?" I asked, really confused.

"Yes, I'm fine," he said, quickly regaining his Riddle swagger.

I sat, slightly confused.

The rest of the train ride went smoothly, except for the fact that a young prefect kept on barging in to ask us stupid questions, like "Do different houses have different curfews?" or "Does being a prefect mean you can go to Hogsmede when you like?"

The train stopped and I knew that we had arrived. Riddle tipped his head slightly to me as he walked out the door.

"Until we meet again," he said derisively.

"Until then, Riddle," I spat. I walked through the grounds to the Great Hall and sat down near the teacher's table. I took out my notebook and flipped through it, trying to find the page from before.

It had disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

Please review! Reviewslove -- XOXO Emily

**Chapter 2 -- What the Deuce!**

Two days after the feast, classes began. All of my classes were advanced, and I was proud to be of the few who had qualified for such an honor. The only class in which I didn't have a firm grounding in was Transfiguration; maybe it was just my high expectations talking, but it always seemed that I took the longest to learn a spell. However, I had studied hard for the Transfiguration O.W.L. and had passed it with flying colors, thank you very much.

For my last year I was taking A.P. (Advanced Placement) Transfiguration, A.P. Charms, A.P. Potions, A.P. Arithmancy, and A.P. Defense Against the Dark Arts. That morning I woke up, exhausted. I had had little sleep the night before, due to frustration over the disappearance of the poem I had written. With heavy bags under my eyes, I threw on my robes and looked at the clock. It read

6:19 

I groaned but conceded into going down to the common room. It was empty. I sighed and threw myself into an armchair by the fire. It would be an hour before the Great Hall officially opened for breakfast. I took out my notebook once again and began to write...

_I thought that I knew you  
But then you show me this  
And I don't know what to think anymore  
It seems that the truth is more complicated than I thought_

I drew a picture of a snake in the corner of the page and snapped the notebook shut; I stuffed it into my canvas bag with my school books. I stood and decided I would head for the Great Hall early; I didn't really have anyone to wait for anyway.  
On the way I ran into Peeves, the Poltergeist.

"Oy, Avery!" he shouted as he whizzed a piece of chewed gum passed at my head. I sighed and muttered, "Protego." The gum bounced away at around an inch away.

"No fair! Blasted magic," Peeves said as he made a grotesque face at me. "Ickle Head Girly doesn't want to play with poor Peevesie." I tried to ignore him and enter the Great Hall, (which we were standing right outside of), but he wouldn't move out of the way.

"Ickle Head Girly, won't you talk to widdle Peevesie? Cat got your tongue?" I groaned and rubbed my eyes. It was way too early in the morning for this.

Suddenly I heard a soft laugh from behind me. I spun around and saw-- him. My eyes thinned and I put back on a sneer reserved just for Riddle.

"Riddle."

"Avery. I see that you are have a copious amount of fun with dear Peeves, I wouldn't want to interrupt you," he smirked. I deducted that he had seen the entire encounter.

"Yes, loads of fun," I growled. I turned back to Peeves.

"Won't do nothing if you don't say please," Peeves said in a kiddy voice.

"Could you move, please?" Peeves gleefully shrieked and blew a raspberry in my face. I blushed and heard Riddle laugh again, amused.

"Fine, you asked for it. Lennundi!" I shouted at him, pointing my wand at his butt; his backside lit on fire and he scooted away, howling curses at me.

"Thanks for the help, Riddle," I said sarcastically. He smirked and entered the Great Hall. I followed, pissed off already at the unseemly hour of 6:45.

----------

Later that day

I entered Charms, my last class of the day, thoroughly annoyed. In every single one of my classes was that prat Riddle. Every single one! I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised, with us being so intellectually superior to most other people in the year, but it didn't make my day any lovelier.

I sat near the back of the room; many people had already arrived. I was coming from Potions in the dungeons (yes, with Riddle) so I was a little later than everyone else. Of course, there was Riddle, sitting in the middle of the class. He had gotten there on time. Of course. I groaned and looked around the class to see that the only free seat was next to Riddle.  
Needless to say, how could my day get any worse?

A few angry looking girls glared at me; I rolled my eyes to myself (the fan club, whoopee) and sat.

"Fancy seeing you here," Riddle said scathingly in a low voice as Professor Lancing droned on about how this was our last year before we left Hogwarts for good.

"Same to you," I hissed in the same low tone.

"I guess this means we have all our classes together," he said.

"I guess it does! How much Riddle brainpower did it take to figure that one out?" I said sarcastically.

"Piss off," he growled.

I smiled, glad that I had gotten on Riddle's nerves. Suddenly my ears perked up at the mention of a project.

"As I have been saying, you will be divided into teams of two, which I have chosen already (he waves a piece of parchment). The team with the most satisfactory project will win a special edition of the series Charms; the Initiative." I recognized the name of the book that had been sold out in every wizarding bookstore in London.

"This project will last for three months; the details of the project are on this handout (he waved a massive pile of packets about his head). Now, the teams go as follows: Mister Frederick Adams, Miss Georgie Finkel..." he said, and I zoned out until I heard my name.

"Miss Atalanta Avery and... oh yes, this should be a right good pair, and Mister Tom Riddle!"

This has to be some kind of sick joke.


	3. Chapter 3

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**Chapter 3 -- Being Together Is the Hardest Part**

Over the next few weeks, Riddle and I had to (grudgingly) have study sessions together in the library for our Charms project. The actual project was ridiculous; the setup was thus: You have an acre of land in the middle of a vastly populated muggle area. Using only charms, keep the muggles away for a forty-eight hour period.

"No, Avery, it has to be this," Riddle said nastily, shoving an old musty book in my face. We were in the library having a... 'rough' time.

"Uh, excuse me? It can't be that; he said so in the handout," I hissed as the mean old librarian, Madame Bixby, walked by. I snatched the book out of his hands and put it back on the shelf. I sighed and went back to doodling mindlessly in my notebook.

"You know, it would help if you weren't so completely bonkers, doodling all day," Riddle smirked. I slammed my notebook shut angrily.

"And you've got something better for me to do? 'Cause you've come up with zilch," I remarked in a casual tone. "I still cannot believe that idiot professor put us together."

"Are you going to whine all day about it or actually work, because you're simply a distraction right now," Riddle said haughtily.

"Fine! I'll see you next class, sodder," I growled, throwing my stuff into my bag and stalking off to Potions.

The charms I knew we had to use were very complex, but fortunately we were only doing the project hypothetically, so we didn't have to perform the spells. Even so, it was very difficult to find the proper spell books.

Each study session was agony; Riddle and I couldn't agree on anything, so we tried to keep the talking to a minimum.

----------

I walked into the corridor outside Gryffindor tower lethargically; I had no urge to get to the library quickly, so I took my sweet time walking there. I turned the corner near the library, then-

Riddle was running swiftly down the hallway toward me; I was about to ask him what was going on when he said, "Shhh shh shh!" and clamped his hand over my mouth. He dragged me down behind a statue of Derrick the Foul using his other arm, and I fell backwards on top of his lap. I suddenly heard the squees of Riddle's fan club.

"Where'd he go?"

"This way, girls!" A huge pack of girls ran past us; one of them was holding a piece of what looked like Riddles robes. Riddle's arms encompassed my small frame; his hold was surprisingly well, strong.

_Mind out of the goddamn gutter, Atalanta. This is_ Riddle_ here._ A shudder of revulsion went through me. As the last one turned the corner, I felt Riddle breath a sigh of relief beneath me.

"Mmph," I said. He released his arms quickly.

"Thanks for the smothering, just what I needed to pep up my day." Riddle scowled.

"Do you realize how long I've been waiting for you?" he said angrily, pointing at his watch.

"Uhh, no?"

"Thirty minutes! Then those girls came in the library and started chasing me; I ran out and saw you-"

"And that's when you had the urge to asphyxiate me. Yippee," I said sarcastically.

"We can't go back to the library, they'll be waiting for me there," he mumbled to himself.

"Well then, Riddle, where do you suggest?"

"Slytherin commons?"

"No way. How about Gryffindor commons?"

"They'd flay me alive if anyone found me in there."

"Maybe we can come back here later tonight," I thought aloud.

"What, during Head Boy and Girl duties?"

"We haven't caught anyone out of bed in over a month. Come on, it's not like Madame Bixby would ever yell at you, her star pupil."

"Sod off. I guess that's alright." I rolled my eyes.

"Fine. See you at ten," I scoffed and walked off.

-----------

I arrived late that night with my bag slung across my back. I pushed by bangs behind my ears and entered the library. It was very dark and quite spooky. I shivered as a board creaked beneath my left foot. I was a scardy-cat, in truth.

"Riddle?" I croaked. "Riddle?"

No answer.

"Riddle?" I said a bit louder. Then-

"Tom?" I was worried, he was supposed to be here, and I hated walking around after dark alone-

"Atalanta?" I heard a voice call. It was Tom- I mean, Riddle.

"Finally," I said, relieved. "Do you just walk slow, or did your fan club attack you again?"

"It's just now ten o' clock, so you were early," he smirked, pointing at his watch.

"Piss off. Look, let's go look through that section we found earlier," I said, trying to change the subject. We walked through the cases of books and began searching. Only then did I allow myself a peek a Riddle. He was wearing a white button down shirt untucked with black pants and a green and silver striped tie hanging loosely around his neck. The top few buttons were undone near his collar and his sleeves were rolled up in a very masculine way. His hair gleamed in the candle light, and-

_WOAH... no more staring. Mind out of the gutter!_

I jerked my head away and began searching through the dusty books. Giggleworth's Guide to Egyptian Charms, Charms Through the Ages, Bezlebick's Charms for Dummies...

"Urgh, this is possibly the most boring thing I've ever heard of," I groaned, and sat back into an old library chair. Riddle sighed and nodded his head, still scanning the shelves.

"I concur, Avery..." he said mildy; then his eye widened. "But-- here! Look at this!" he said excitedly. He had pulled a dusty book off the shelf. Riddle plopped the book down in on the table before and leaned over my shoulder so that we were very close to touching. Extremely close.

"Uh personal space?" He rolled his eyes and scooted a bit to the left.

"This is it; Loquat's Charm. The one I told you about before?" I nodded, a vague memory popping up in the back of my head.

"Refresh my memory?"

"It automatically detects any magical remnants on any one person; this spell, combined with a modified Oblviatory spell could work!" Suddenly it clicked.

"Oh, my God, Tom, you're right! It could work-" I started, but Tom was looking at me funny.

"You just called me Tom," he said in a slighty confused voice.  
_Oh_. I felt my cheeks blush in spite of myself. Thank God for the dark.

"My mistake, Riddle." An awkward pause.

"So yeah, that should work," Tom- er, Riddle, said distantly.

"Whatever," I said sharply.

"Anyway, since we're done, I'm going," Riddle said, looking away.

"What, you got a date?" I scoffed, half-smiling.

"None of your business, Avery," he said scathingly.

_Woah, backing off now..._

"Okay... Bye then," I said, confused. He grabbed his stuff and headed off in the opposite direction of his common room.

Muggles say curiosity killed the cat. Never have muggles been so accurate.


	4. Chapter 4

-1Please rate! Rating is love!

**Chapter 4 -- Discovery**

I walked quickly down the corridor, every so often hanging back. I was curious; I wanted to know where Riddle was going on this little late night stroll all alone. Anyway, I had the right, didn't I? Being Head Girl and all?

I stopped suddenly as Riddle entered the girl's bathroom. He turned violently, and I threw myself against the wall; I tried as hard as I could to breath as quietly as possible. Slowly he turned back to the bathroom door and entered.

_What is Riddle doing in a girl's bathroom! That's definatly strange…_ I thought to myself, as I inched forward towards him. I slowly opened the door a smidge and saw Riddle standing in front of a sink.

_What the bloody hell is he doing?_ I was thoroughly confused. Suddenly, I heard an inhumane hiss. The hiss was coming from Riddle; it was beautiful, in a way. The syllables twisted and twined with one another, forming a sort of language.

_Oh, my God. It _is _a language. Parseltongue. Riddle is a Parselmouth!_ I realized in total shock. _They are really rare._

Suddenly a creak was heard and the sink he was hissing at started to move outward; the other sinks moved up and down, creating a large hole in the center. Taking one last look at his surroundings, Riddle jumped into the hole.

Shocked, I tiptoed inside and peered into the dark chasm. I suddenly felt a waft of hot air, and my veins turned to ice. _I shouldn't be here,_ I thought to myself, very spooked. I left the girl's bathroom in a hurry, and never looked back until I had safely reached Gryffindor Tower. I sighed in relief and sat down in a couch near the fire. My heart was beating fast; something strange was down in that chamber, I knew it. Something forbidden.

I saw my bag and opened it, taking out my notebook. I flipped to a random page. A line of a poem caught my eye.

_It seems that the truth is more complicated than I thought._

How true. I sighed and walked up to my bed, where I had a restless night, due to nightmares, all ending with a terrifying hiss…

-------------

I woke up the next morning tired from a fitful night's sleep. Yawning, I changed my clothes and headed to Arithmancy; I wasn't hungry at all, and skipping breakfast wan't that unusual for me. Riddle was waiting outside the classroom already.

_Uh oh._ I nodded at him and he nodded back. He had bags under his eyes and seemed quite tired.

"Long night?" I smirked. He shot me a death glare and grunted.

"You've no idea," he muttered. I sighed and sat down. I doodled a bit in my notebook; around a half hour passed, and no one had arrived yet. Class was supposed to have started around ten minutes ago.

"Where is everyone?" I said to myself. Riddle shrugged. "Well, we should probably find out what in the bloody hell's going on; the Professor isn't even here." With that, I left, heading back toward the Gryffindor Commons. I heard Riddle's footsteps following.

"Wait up," he said gruffly. I sighed and stopped walking long enough for him to catch up. "We should check the Great Hall first," he said decidedly. Off we went.

There was a large crowd standing near the doors to the Great Hall. I rumpled my eyebrows, confused, then I strode forward.

"Head Girl and Boy, stand aside; what's the meaning of all this?" I shouted, pushing my way through the crowd. Suddenly I stopped and stared in horror at what lay before me.

A young girl, around the age of eleven, was lying rigidly on the floor. At first I thought it was simply a case of the Full Body Bind, but looking closer, I realized that she had been Petrified.

"Riddle- How could this be possible?" I whispered hoarsely. He said nothing and looked away. He had a strange emotion gleaming in his eyes. I couldn't tell what it was.

Dippet and Dumbledore came striding down the Hall.

"STAND ASIDE!" Dippet bellowed. Students hurried in every which way away from the body. Dumbledore leaned forward and checked her pulse.

"She has been Petrified," he announced, hands out. "She will be fine, after a Mandrake draft. Now all of you, off to your classes." He levitated the girl and the two of them, Dippet and Dumbledore, headed off to what I presumed was the hospital wing.

"We should be going," I said in a shaky tone. Riddle and I left the Hall together in silence.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you sooo much for the reviews! They make me happy J

**Chapter 5 -- Silence Is Golden**

I walked alone in the hall, shivering slightly. I had excused myself from the Gryffindor commons for a walk alone. I had been really shaken by the events that had taken place during the day: Dippet had demanded that everyone go by the buddy system and no one walk the halls alone, but I was always one to break the rules.

I sighed and leaned against the wall, near an old coat of armor. I couldn't get the image of Riddle jumping into the hole in the girl's bathroom out of my head; however, I had enough common sense not to ask him about it. Riddle could be so uptight sometimes.

But I absolutely _knew_ that Riddle had to have had a part in what had happened today. _I know it_.

I heard a strange, foreign noise near me; it sounded almost like something slithering. A large something.

I began to turn around when I heard something behind me. A scream. I turned backward violently, and bolted to where I thought the scream came from. I turned a few corners and dashed down an empty corridor. Turning again, I found-

It was a fourth year boy and girl, by the looks of them; he was holding an envelope and she a small square mirror. Both had been Petrified. They lay there, on the cold stone floor, almost lifeless. I dashed forward and leaned over them, my heart in my throat.

"Avery?" I heard a voice say. It was Riddle.

"Tom, look- they, they're gone," I stuttered. Another strange gleam shined in Riddle's eyes.

"Gone? As in dead?" he asked delicately. I gave him a strange look.

"No, just Petrified," I said, sighing heavily. Riddle's eyes darkened. "I really can't believe this is happening, Riddle. Someone needs to catch whatever or whoever it is that's doing this and put and end to it." I stood. "I'll go get Dippet, he needs to know. Stay here with them, and be careful." With that last sentiment, I was off.

Striding down the corridor, I couldn't help but wonder why Tom had been out. I mean, it was a real coincidence that he had been out at exactly the same time as the Petrifications. Then again, so had I. Sighing, I said the password to the eagle.

"Unity," I whispered. The stairs began moving immediately and I hopped on. Soon I was at the door. I could hear Dippet and Dumbledore talking inside.

"No, I would never suspect him of doing anything of the sort, Albus!" Dippet said in his squeaky voice. "I don't know where you get these things sometimes, old friend."

"Just a precaution," said Dumbledore's serene voice from within. I opened the door slowly and poked my head in.

"Hello, Professor, headmaster; important news. I just found two fourth year students Petrified in the fifth floor corridor!" I said, a bit out of breath. Dumbledore's eyes widened, and he stood valiantly.

"Take us there," he said, and off we went. After a minute of scrambling from the office, Dumbledore asked, "Did you leave Tom with them?"

"Tom? You mean Riddle?" I asked. "Yeah, he's guarding them." A shadow passed over Dumbledore's face and his strides quickened. We reached the bodies in goodtime. Tom was standing over the girl with a look of interest.

"They are both of muggle heritage," Dumbledore said softly, dipping down and looking at each closely. Riddle stood back hastily, lurking in a shadowy corner as Dippet stode forward as well.

"We must get them to the hospital wing immediately! Atalanta, Tom- if you mind? Professor Dumbledore and I have some matters to discuss." With a flail a cloak, they both were off, talking rapidly in hushed whispers.

I levitated the boy and Riffle the girl; we set off for the hospital wing.

"This really is scary," I said softly, as we turned a corner.

" I don't really think you have much to worry about; it's obvious what the perpetrator is doing. He's purging the school."

"He's _what_?" I asked in disbelief, stopping dead in my tracks.

"Don't you see?" Riddle asked, eyes wide. He turned around as well. "He's trygin to rid the school of Mudbloods." I cringed.

"Don't use that foul language around me, Riddle. I'm pissed off enough at you in general, don't make it worse."

"Why should you care? You're a pureblood; you're safe," he said distinctly, and he started walking down the corridor again. We walked in silence as I thought of my retort to Riddle. Finally I could see the hospital wing.

"I don't believe anyone's safe until the person who's doing it is caught. Or thing," I added, entering the hospital wing and handing over the bodies to Madame Doyle, who fussed over them and put them in cots next to the first victim. I sighed and left the hospital wing with Riddle at my side.

"Do you really think this is such a wretched thing?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, I do! I don't discriminate against others just on account of how pure their blood is. Didn't you say you were an orphan?" I asked wickedly; he looked away, embarrassed. "You don't even know what kind of blood you have. You could be as muggle as the people lying in those cots-"

"That's a LIE!" Riddle roared at me, wand out and pointed at my throat. I gulped and visibly paled. He put a silencing charm on me. "You're a liar and a filthy waste of a pureblood." With that, he left me alone in the dark. I clutched at my throat and tried as hard as I could to shout, scream; I even tried the counter curse, but nothing came out. I groaned inwardly, still frightened, and stomped off to Gryffindor Tower.

Muggles say silence is golden. They couldn't be more wrong.


	6. Chapter 6

-1Yay for reviews! Thankies for the love, lol…

**Chapter 6 -- Dazed and Confunded**

I tried, in vain, for the next hour, to communicate that I had been Silenced, but no one really wanted to listen, or rather, see. Finally a shy third year came up to me and asked if I was alright; after a few rounds of charades, she got it and reversed the spell.

"Thanks, mate," I said, with a wink. She blushed and ran off. I walked out of the commons myself, and up to my dorm. My mind was racing; what had I said that had ticked Riddle off? That had sent him over the edge, from normal (at least for him) to psycho?

_Oh yes, I remember now. I said he could be muggle born._

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair; it was around four in the morning, but my agitation gave me no rest. I needed to figure Riddle out; he was a puzzle, an enigma, a code I needed to crack…

I decided then and there that I would tell no one of Riddle's lash against me. It was simply another piece of the jigsaw that I need for myself; not something that I could hand over to others for dissecting.

And in all this, a sense of worry pounded against me. I knew that what I was doing was wrong, so wrong, and yet it had to be done. I knew it had to be done.

---------------

The next day, I didn't see Riddle in the Great Hall. I searched the Slytherin table, but he had disappeared. I groaned inwardly and resigned myself to eating breakfast, which consisted of oatmeal and toast.

I tried to look for Riddle around the outside of the Hall, but he wasn't there either. Cursing, I began trudging along the dark corridor toward the stairs to Charms. I was pissed that I couldn't find him. We needed to talk. Suddenly, something really strange happened: a bright light went before my eyes, and then a woozy feeling overcame me.

I walked with soft footsteps up to the third floor, on every step planting a solid foot. I felt almost otherworldly, or very spacey at the very least. I heard a distant ringing in my ears, then-

I staggered backwards; I felt confused and carefree at the same time. I felt my body fall backwards. Then- a crash, and a scream. I felt the back of my head slowly, cautiously. When I took my hand back, it was red from blood. A girl and a boy came up to me and asked something, but I couldn't hear him. I could feel my body wanting to slip into unconsciousness, and I tried to fight it. Then, for a brief moment, I saw him; Riddle, I mean. He was standing at the head of the stairs, a pained expression on his face. I heard him call out my name, and then I finally gave in to my body and passed out.

------------------

Slowly, my world came into focus. I saw a bright light, far to bright to be natural, and then a very worried looking Madame Doyle, the school nurse. I was in the hospital wing.

"You're awake, good," she said with an unconvincing grin.

"What happened?" I asked, confused. My hand went to the back of my head, but it was completely normal.

"You seemed to have lost your footing on the stairs, and you cracked your head open; I was able to fix it, however. Do you often fall on the stairs?" Madame Doyle asked with a laugh. I shook my head and blushed, embarrassed.

"No, I'm afraid I don't," I said softly.

"I didn't think so," Madame Doyle said, patting me politely on the back. "_I_ think you were Confunded."

"Are you kidding me?" I asked in disbelief. _I mean, I guess the symptoms fit, the lightheadedness, wooziness, loss of balance-_

"Yes, and now that you're awake, I can do a simple test that will determine if you have been Confunded in the last twenty-four hours," she said matter-of-factly. With a wish of her wand, she said, "Ferrendo!" My skin immediately turned to a sickly pale purple color.

"Oh yes, it's as I feared. You were Confunded, child." I examined my skin with a morbid fascination, and then quickly looked away.

"How did I get here?" I asked sharply.

"Young Mister Tom Riddle carried you here from your landing spot, Miss Avery," Madame Doyle said smartly, picking up her wand and handing me a potion. I felt my cheeks burn in utter embarassment. _Riddle carried me?_ "You need to take that potion tonight at dinner, and tomorrow at breakfast. Come see me tomorrow afternoon, alright? I want to check up on you," she said kindly. I thanked her and ran off to my next class, which was now Potions. I had been out for nearly two hours.

---------------

I slid myself into the dungeon; I saw Riddle sitting near the front of the class, with an emptry cauldron sitting next to him. _My_ empty cauldron.

"Hi," I said cautiously, siddling down next to him.

"How are you?" he asked somewhat genuinely. "Was Madame Doyle able to heal you?" I felt even more confused than before.

"Uh, yeah; she just said I needed to take this potion thing, and then I'd be fine," I trailed off. _Why had he set up my cauldron? And why was he suddenly being so friendly?_ I decided to take matters into my own hands and ask.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked. He gave me a pained look.

"I realized something," he said softly. I leaned forward to try and catch what he said, he was talking so low. "I realized that to have you as my enemy would be foolish. And I also realized that you aren't all that bad after all, Avery." An awkward silence; however, I knew what he said wasn't a lie. "I also feel bad about last night."

There it was.

"You flipped out," I laughed. He smiled knowingly at me.

"Yeah, I 'flipped out,'" he nodded. "I'm sorry. For Silencing you; and flipping out. And everything." He gave me a weak smile.

"Apology accepted," I whispered back. "I-"

"MISTER RIDDLE AND MISS AVERY, COULD YOU QUIT FLIRTING AND PAY ATTENTION, PLEASE?" shouted Professor Waite. We both immediately turned to him; I felt my face burning. I mumbled and apology. So did Riddle.

I turned my head slightly to look at Riddle. His face was red, too.


	7. Chapter 7

-1**Chapter 7 -- Found and Lost**

Riddle's demeanor changed over the next few months; slowly his glares turned into smiles, his anger pushed down, far from the light of day. We became close, but I did not let my guard down. I couldn't- not after years of hating his guts.

As our friendship grew, I couldn't help but feel… I don't know, I guess, _more_ than simply friendly with him. I guess that's a side-effect of being a hormonal teenager. There were more awkward moments every day; times when all we could do was simply stare. But I could never truly know what he felt. Never.

_And it's not like an inter-house relationship could ever work? Right?_

-----------------------------------

"Nuh uh!" I shrieked, stumbling through the snow with Riddle on my tail. There hadn't been an attack in weeks, and we were all pretty carefree during the first big snowfall of the season.

"You can't just ambush someone and except them to just take it!" he shouted back with a laugh. I smirked and stopped short suddenly. I turned sharply, and was then promptly run over by Riddle, who was holding a snowball in his hand. We fell into the snow, laughing. I felt his body roll off me slightly, and I inwardly sighed.

"Oops," he chuckled.

"Oops is right… now I'm all wet," I laughed. I made a snow angel and stood up, my arms and legs numb from the cold. I shivered and I felt cold arms slither around my waist. Riddle.

"You're just as freezing as I am," I murmured. He made an incoherent sound.

"Eh, body heat," he whispered back. We stood there for a bit and then he let go. "We should go inside. Come on." Taking my hand, he pulled me inside the warm Hogwarts halls…

--------------------------------------

Another attack.

Tom didn't really care about it; he told me not to worry.

_I guess he's right. I guess._

--------------------------------------

"Tal, scoot over," Tom said, as he slide down the cold dungeon wall to sit next to me. I moved over a bit.

"Since when am I Tal?" I asked, smirking.

"Since I said so," he replied, flashing me a winning smile. _So charming…_

"Ugh, I always did hate my name," I muttered.

"And why's that?" he asked incredulously. "I _like_ your name."

"It's so… complicated. Your name is far better. And easier to say."

"My name is from that _disgusting_ muggle I call a father. I'd say your name tops mine," Tom said bitterly. Awkward silence.

"So…" I sighed casually. "What're your plans for the weekend?" Suddenly I realized that I sounded _very_ forward. I blushed and covered my mouth. Tom just smiled.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe I'll stop by Hogsmede or something…" he trailed off. Another silence. Then Tom turned to me rather rapidly, and we were far too close to each other for casual contact.

"Actually, Tal, I was wondering whether you would like to accompany me on the Hogsmede trip," Tom said in a low voice. I could feel his warm hand on mine. His eyes looked at me in hope.

"Uh, sure… I mean, yes, I'd love to!" I whispered. Tom grinned and helped me up as Professor Waite appeared at the end of the hall. I followed Waite into the classroom. Then I realized Tom wasn't with me. I turned to see him standing in the hall, looking rather distracted; a flash of annoyance and regret flickered in his eyes. I called him name and he immediately snapped out of it.

"Sorry," he murmured, gathering his things and entering the class without another word. I had the strange feeling that he wasn't only talking about the lapse.

_So charming… and yet so distant. Why can't I figure him out? What is he hiding?_


	8. Chapter 8

-1**Chapter 8 -- Jealousy**

When I woke up the next day, I tried to convince myself that it was all a dream, Tom hadn't really asked me out, it was all my imagination-

But it _was_ true- he _had_ asked me. And I had said yes.

_Don't tell yourself you don't want this, Atalanta. Then you'd be lying._ I sighed and headed down to the Great Hall, even though it was only around six in the morning.

After breakfast I wandered around a bit; no one else was awake quite yet. I walked around the halls, and eventually I found myself near the girl's bathroom that I had once seen Riddle in. In remembrance, I entered the room. I could smell an odd scent around the sink area; almost as if something had recently died around there. I shrugged off my unease and walked around the stalls until I heard a faint whimpering.

"Hello?" I asked. The whimpering stopped.

"Who's there?" asked a whiney voice. "If it's you, Olive, I'll smack you for teasing me about my glasses-"

"Shush, it's not Olive Hornby," I said with a laugh. I knew that voice. Myrtle. I had tutored her a bit during her first year in Potions. "It's Atalanta, Atalanta Avery."

A cowering Myrtle poked her head out from the stall, glasses and all.

"Oh. Hello," she said in a quiet voice.

"Oh, Myrtle, why are you crying?" I asked in a kind voice. I liked Myrtle. She reminded me of one of my young cousins.

Myrtle's eyes filled with tears. "Olive teased me again."

"Oh, don't you worry about Miss Hornby. She's just jealous," I replied matter-of-factly.

"No she's not. She thinks my glasses are ugly and stupid. Ask her yourself," Myrtle muttered.

"Do you often come here?" I asked with a smile. _Not really the place do to your crying. Not very secluded._

"Sometimes," she sniffled. "When I can't find anywhere else to go. I have my own little stall." She pointed to the one she had been in. "And it's not only Olive anymore. There's a girl in your year, Demeter, I think; she calls me names too."

Fiery anger burned in me. _Demeter Collins. How I loathe the name._

"Well, she's in for a hex the next time I see her," I replied, heated. Myrtle smiled happily. "You should go find your friends, they're probably looking for you."

"Alright. Thanks, Atalanta," Myrtle said as she exited the bathroom. I sighed and left as well. After one last glance at the sink area, I was gone.

---------------------------

As I walked away from the stalls, I saw Tom wave at me from the other side of the hallway, surrounded by a gaggle of people. One of whom caught my eye. _Demeter._ She walked up to Tom and started pushing him up to the adjacent wall, all the while with Tom looking rather confused. Then something clicked in his eyes and he held his hands up.

"Now, see here…" he began. Demeter was getting closer to him, her body pressed up against his, her hand against his cheek… But my wand was already out.

"Ignis," I growled. Demeter's robes caught on fire, and she started screaming. I felt satisfied.

"What was that for, you-" Demeter shouted.

"You made fun of Myrtle," I snarled. She scowled and trudged away. Meanwhile, Tom was giving me the oddest look.

"You have a certain air about you when you're angry…" he pondered aloud. "I like it." He paused, as I rolled my eyes. "No, really. It has a kind of… essence that I am attracted to."

Pause.

"It wasn't just for Myrtle, was it?" he asked in a low voice. "It was because she was coming onto m-"

"Shove off, Riddle," I murmured, suddenly really embarrassed. I turned on my heel and stomped off, leaving Riddle alone in the hall.

Of course, he _was_ right. I _had_ done it for him.

Still doesn't give him the right to say it. Not yet.

---------------------------

Demeter Collins was found the next day, Petrified.


	9. Chapter 9

-1**Chapter 9 -- The Death**

"You shouldn't be worrying so much, you know," Tom said to me; it was the day before our 'date.' "Collins was a pest; she was taken care of."

I shot him a look. Tom sometimes said odd things like that... Almost as if he controlled everything. "No one deserves to be Petrified, Tom, no matter how annoying," I scolded. Tom scowled.

"Tal, you have such little sense at times," Tom said with a chuckle. But there was no heart behind the laugh. Just a cold, bitter glare. I shuddered involuntarily.

"Are you cold?" he asked. I shook my head. Tom raised his eyebrows and began shrugging of his jacket. I sighed and accepted it, breathing in the odd scent the jacket carried.

"Thanks," I whispered. We were standing close together, a warm little pocket away from the rest of the world.

"No problem," he whispered back. I saw his face approaching mine, so close, so tantalizingly close-

Then a voice rang out.

"Atalanta! Atalanta!" called the voice. _Shoot. Myrtle._ I saw Tom's face twitch in annoyance.

"Hello, Myrtle," I said a bit cautiously; I glanced back at Tom, who seemed rather angry.

"Oh, I've been looking everywhere for you, Atalanta; someone's broke my glasses again, and no one will fix them for me," Myrtle cried woefully. I smiled generously at Myrtle, although a bit miffed I didn't get to kiss Tom.

"Reparo," I said, pointing to the broken glasses. The broken pieces joined together, and Myrtle was overjoyed.

"Thanks!" she grinned. "See you around." She skipped off, clutching her newly repaired glasses to her face.

I turned back to Tom; he still looked quite angry.

"Tom? Are you alright?" I asked, slightly frightened.

"Quite," he said in a rough voice, quite unlike his own. I recoiled.

"Oh- O-Okay. I need to go look something up in the library, then. I'll see you tomorrow?" I said, shaken at Tom's coarseness. Tom nodded curtly and I walked away, millions of thoughts racing through my subconscious.

I went back up to Gryffindor tower, strangely tired. I said hello to a few people, and sat by the fire to draw a bit. I started out with an eye, and then I expanded, my subconscious brimming out onto the pages…

An hour later, I was done. I looked at the paper and saw Tom staring back at me with a livid look dancing upon his face. Disgusted, I balled the paper up and threw it against the wall.

-------------------------------

I woke up the next day with a start; I had had the strangest dream the night before… Tom had been dressed in the most odd looking robes. I sighed and looked about at my dorm mates; they were all wide awake, talking in hurried whispers. I opened the curtains wider and they all looked at me.

"What's going on?" I asked sleepily. A girl I knew to be called Gretchen replied immediately.

"They might be closing the school… someone's _died_!" she replied hastily. My mouth dropped.

"Who?" I asked, the words springing from my mouth. I felt my ribcage closing in upon me, the walls closing in upon me-

"It was a third year, I think. Her name was Myrtle, and she was muggle-born," Gretchen said sadly. I felt my eyes tear up. _No, no- this isn't happening, it's wrong, a lie-_

"Are you sure?" I whispered, heart in my throat. She nodded gravely. I wiped my eyes before any tears could fall and I dressed quickly, automatically. I needed to see Tom; my gut instinct was telling me that he knew something about all this.

"I wouldn't go anywhere; I heard Dippet's quarantined the students to their dormitories," Gretchen called after me as I made my way to the commons.

"Being Head Girl has it's perks," I muttered. I pushed the portrait hole open; I needed to find Tom, I needed to see him-

Then I heard two voices.

"Riddle." It was Dumbledore's voice.

"Professor Dumbledore." Tom. That was Tom's voice! I almost ran out right then-

"It's not wise to be wandering around this late, Tom." I backed away, and hid behind the corner of the stairs.

"Yes, Professor. I suppose I -- I had to see it for myself, if…" A gaggle of wizards walked past me suddenly, carrying a stretcher. I could see a pale hand poking out from the sheet the covered the body on it. _Myrtle._

"The rumors were true!" Tom again.

"I'm afraid they are, Tom." I felt tears running down my face; but I had to keep it together, for my sake as well as Myrtle's.

"About the school as well? They wouldn't really close Hogwarts, would they?" I cringed. I knew Tom had nothing to go back to if Hogwarts were truly to close.

"Headmaster Dippet may have no choice, I'm afraid." It was odd that Dumbledore's voice always remained so calm in a time of crisis.

"Sir. If it all stopped. If the person responsible were to be caught…" A ray of hope burned through me. So Tom _did_ know something.

"Is there something you wish to tell me, Tom?" I wished silently I had the courage to ask him the same question. There was a long pause.

"No, sir. Nothing." I sighed. _Lies._

"Very well then. Hurry along." I saw Tom's figure flash beside me; I held my breath and hoped he wouldn't see me. He didn't.

You remember that muggle saying again? Curiosity killed the cat?

I am one helluva cat.

**_Reviews are, as always, much appreciated!_**


	10. Chapter 10

-1

I walked on tip toes, following Tom at a ten foot distance. My brain told me that it was possibly one of the stupidest things I could have done, but my gut told me that I needed to know… I would no longer be kept in the dark.

_Tom knew something about Myrtle's death, he knew something about the strange goings-on at Hogwarts… he had to._

Suddenly, Tom stopped. I felt my heart fly to my throat. He was standing in front of a door. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. I could hear scuffling from inside. Tom sighed and pointed his wand at the doorknob. "Alohamora!" The door burst open and I gasped.

It was Hagrid.

Inside the room was a huge boy, who looked rather scared; I knew him to be Hagrid… after all, who could miss him? Even as a third year, his tall stature set him apart. Everyone knew who he was. Hagrid seemed to be standing in front of a large box that was shaking violently… almost as if something was inside it.

My attention turned back to Tom.

"Now Hagrid, be civil!" Tom said, pointing his wand at the box. "I'm sure that it was just a bad mistake, letting it out for a while… but we need to show the girl's parent's the beast that killed the poor girl!"

"He wouldn't 'arm nuthin!" Hagrid bawled. Tom's eyes flashed.

"Stand aside, Hagrid." Hagrid didn't move. The box rattled; I suddenly had the strong impression that I had no desire to see whatever it was hiding in that box.

"You can't take Aragog! He didn't do nuthin!" Hagrid growled. Tom tried to get to the box, but Hagrid pushed him aside. There was a scuffle, and the box was turned over. A long, hairy leg poked out, and in a flash it scuttled out of the room; a huge spider-

And it was headed straight toward me.

I let out a silent scream and backed away hastily. The spider seemed to sense me in its haste; a long leg dashed out and stuck me across the leg. Instantly I felt my body topple over; I made the loudest sound as I fell into a suit of armor behind me.

_Oops._

I couldn't concentrate- I saw Tom coming towards me; my head hurt a lot, the sword from the armor had hit me on the head… my sight went in and out of focus.

"Tal?" I heard. I grunted. "Tal, can you hear me?" It was Tom.

"Tom?" I asked softly. I felt my body getting lifted up. Tom had picked me up and was now walking down the hall with me in his arms.

"Looks like you took a fall back there," he chided. I shook my head.

"I'm fine- Ow." In shaking my head, an odd ringing noise had started drumming in my ears.

"That's what I thought…" he laughed. "But do tell me, what are you doing out of your commons?"

My blood went cold. My pulse quickened, and I hoped that he couldn't feel my heart beat right now, which was at 700 million beats per minute.

"I- I… I needed to know the truth." _There. That's not a lie._

"It is a tragedy…" said a voice.

Not Tom.

Dumbledore.

"Hello Professor," I said meekly.

"I see both you and Mr. Riddle here have avid curiosities. Do not be ashamed-" for I had blushed. He shook his head. "Curiosity is not a sin. Be cautious, however. Tom, I heard some noise down the hall before. After you escort Miss Avery to… I assume the Hospital Wing- Would you please meet me in my office?" Tom nodded gravely and left swiftly.

"Tom, I can walk…" I murmured. Tom gently put me on my feet. "I have another reason for being out tonight." Tom's eyes pierced mine and a shiver ran down my spine. "I needed to see you. I needed to talk to you." I looked away. "I don't know what to think about us, Tom. You just hold so many mysteries, so many secrets I can't even grasp-"

"Then don't." I was confused.

"What?"

"Don't try to grasp them. Love me for who I am as you know it." There was a pause.

"I don't want a façade, Tom. I want the truth!" Tom pulled my head up and looked me in the eyes

"The truth is not as pretty as I know you want it to be, my Tal. Perhaps you are best not knowing."

"I'm not a little kid, I can handle it-" But his lips had crashed down upon mine before I could finish. Surprised, I kissed him back, months of pent-up longing erupting. His kiss was soft and passionate; it was gentle at first, and then rougher. I wrapped my arms around his neck and we disappeared into the dark hallway in front of us, now forever entwined.


End file.
